Rinse, Repeat

Trying to get back into a routine has been difficult, and I don’t see my situation changing much in the next few weeks. On the other hand I’ve been so worn out that I don’t get to do many of the extracurricular fun things that I like to do either. I did manage to join a couple of coworkers for a few beers at Outback (Ah, you thought I was going to say Taco Mac, didn’t you? Truth be told, that’s where I wanted to go.), then it was a stop at Kroger (Emory) and then home to where I passed out around 10pm.

If You Are An iPhone A Smart-Phone User
A few weeks ago I downloaded an iPhone app called CardStar onto my iPhone. CardStar is an application which allows you to manage (store) all of your “Loyalty Program” information. What’s really neat is that if your program as a barcode (Kroger’s has this) you can take a photo of the barcode and that photo gets stored into the program.

During last night’s Kroger checkout I whipped out my iPhone, held it up so that the cashier could point the scanner at it, and the savings were mine.

Gone are the days of digging through a wallet or purse to produce the Loyalty Program card. I think it’s pretty cool at least.

I’ve Done It Again!
For tonight’s Top Chef (finale?) night I decided to make a corned beef and cabbage (and onions, carrots, potatoes) in my crockpot. I know, I’m a week late. For some reason I keep thinking that the capacity of my crockpot is much larger than it really is because I can never get all of the items I’ve purchased for a meal inside of it. (Huh, maybe this is how I spend part of my $111 at Sears. Nah, I really don’t need three crockpots.) Even with the lid slightly ajar from overstuffing I’m sure that the ten hours of cooking time that I’ve budgeted for this meal will be sufficient. Besides, some things will shrink as they cook and the lid will then close completely.

And if I am completely wrong I will blog about the wonderful pasta and tomato sauce that I made for dinner last night…

ITP Flickr Pic
Nothing today but I guarantee a photo of tonight’s corned beef and cabbage, assuming that it’s edible.

This Is How I Buy
First, let me say that I love the fact that Total Wine & More opens at 8am. I stopped in to the location nearest my office with the sole purchase of buying a six-pack of New Belgium’s Mighty Arrow (ITP-Reader’s Lisa and Randy say it’s good, so I have to try it). I went into the six-pack aisle and didn’t see it amongst the Fat Tire, 1554, Ranger IPA, and Mothership Wit. Dangen!

I then decided to treat myself to a mixed six-pack containing beers that I have never previously tried, or those that I knew I enjoyed drinking. I made sure to check for Mighty Arrow in the singles section, but it was not to be found there either. It took me a few minutes, but I assembled a six-pack which pleased me and headed toward the cashier.

It was then I saw a stack of Mighty Arrow six-packs and twelve-packs on an end-aisle display. WTH? Naturally I grabbed a six-pack and walked to the cashier to purchase the two six-packs in my hands.

What confuses me is why none of those Mighty Arrow packages made it to the shelves with the other beers from New Belgium? The stacked display was not a load of new-arrivals, it was clearly constructed as a “permanent” display.

Oh well, at least I got my Mighty Arrow — and a six-pack of other beers as well. 🙂

Stats & GoalsDailyCurrent Mood – meh, hurtingCurrent Music – silence at the momentWebsite Of The Day – Of course if my corned beef fails I could always call Atlanta-based Zifty to see if they’ll deliver food to East Atlanta.Mode Of Transportation To Work – my carExercise (b)Log – nothingMorning Weigh-In – not checking

March Goals
– Recover from the bike crash
– Not to get sick for the entire month
– Not get fired from my job
– Run
– Lose two pounds
– Go out on a date with someone else
– Read an entire book, specifically Chef’s Story

2011 Goals [will be a little more fluid than in past years]
– Reduce my weight by 25 pounds based on the my weight as measured on February 1st
– Completely read the book Daily Negations which I received as a Christmas gift.
– Run Sharpened Stone as a real business — one which does not get penalized.
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Attend at least one professional photography workshop
– Enter no fewer than three photographic competitions / gallery showings
– Ride in no fewer than five 50 mile or 50K bike rides
– Run in no fewer than two one half-marathon
– Submit at least one application under the name “Sharpened Stone” to Apple’s iOS store

The Unmeasurable
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem
– Eat smaller portions

10 Responses to Rinse, Repeat

I just use a phone# that is associated with my account at Kroger – no need for a card. But – that does seem like a pretty cool app.

We cooked some bone-in chicken breasts on the egg last night, no smoke, just I guess sort of grilled, damn, they were moist & tasty. It takes a little longer to cook with the egg, but so far, it has been worth all the investment.

Zifty does deliver to the ‘hood and why would you call, it’s all on-line???

I lost my Kroger card years ago, I just punch in my (old) phone number. Where the ‘smart phone’ would be handy is when you add coupons on-line. I add them, then forget what I’ve added…well you see where this is going.

I thought of something else I would buy from Sears with $111, an awesome, heated, massaging foot spa…ahhhhhh.

$169.99 for the 405, tempting but I’ve heard it’s not as user friendly as the 305. My current concern with my 305 is the battery won’t last the entire race next month!

Jerry and I are going to attempt SweetH20, looks like I can buy a back up battery system for about $20. Feels like I’m getting about 5 hours on my Garmin, not close to the 7-10 hours I’m told to expect. I wonder if it has anything to do with being in the woods, having to ‘work’ harder to find the signal? I’m planning on 7 to 8 hours for the race (if I’m lucky).

So I think we’re wasting $20 a week on daycare for Nibbles. I’m watching her on the web cam, she is just staring at the door, not playing or interacting with anyone.

You know, I should lose some hasher cred by not identifying that as Sage Hill. And, for those who like Pig & Chik BBQ and haven’t been in that area for a while, there will soon be a Pig & Chik BBQ on the corner of Briarcliff and Clifton (where Dusty’s BBQ used to be).

Because I didn’t see Mighty Arrow in the grocery stores last week I thought that finding it in Atlanta was going to be difficult, but I went over to Alon’s Bakery to get a loaf of rye bread for tonight’s dinner and a sandwich for lunch, and saw that they sell it there as well.